1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an arrow rest that captures an arrow shaft within a frame prior to launch.
2. Description of Prior Art
Some conventional arrow rests, often referred to as shoot-thru arrow rests, allow an arrow to discharge without the fletching or the vanes touching the arrow rest. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,137,006 and 5,285,764 each disclose two opposing support arms through which one vane may pass during discharge of the arrow.
Other conventional arrow rests support an arrow shaft at two positions lower than the centerline of the arrow shaft. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,865,096, 3,935,854, 4,686,956, 4,748,964 and 4,827,895 teach supporting members that form point contact or line contact with an arrow shaft at two positions lower than a center-line of the arrow shaft. In such conventional arrow rests, the fletching or vane does not pass through supporting members of the arrow rest but rather clears the arrow rest.
Most archery arrows have three vanes mounted on an external surface of the arrow shaft. The three vanes are usually positioned with approximately 120° spacing between the vanes.
Once set in a particular position, many conventional arrow rests that allow the fletching to clear the arrow rest can accommodate only one size of arrow shaft diameter. But because arrow shafts are now manufactured with outside diameter lengths in a wide range, it is often necessary to make complicated and time-consuming mechanical adjustments to the arrow rest when changing to an arrow shaft with a different diameter. It is apparent there is a need for one arrow rest that can quickly and easily accommodate different diameters of differently sized arrow shafts. There is a further need for an arrow rest that can maintain an arrow shaft in a loaded position reliably and repeatedly.